I’m starting to run out of stuff to talk about for these FF lead in’s. *ponders* It finally rained here after 2 months. *thinks* Going to Europe for two weeks soon, so, any suggestions bars, bands, sites in the UK and Germany are appreciated. Unfortunately, that means the fix will be on vacation for two weeks (maybe) as well, depending on time and internet access!

Ladyfinger (ne) – Little Things (2009, Omaha, Nebraska) Any readers out there from Omaha? Perhaps you can answer why such great bands come from there? Does it have a good live music scene/arts school/something? Chris Machmuller, Pat Oakes, Matt Bayles and Ethan have been members of various bands before combining forces to create Ladyfinger (ne). Pat played formerly in Saddle Creek band “Mayday”, and was also part of a band called “Solid Jackson”. Ethan used to be in the Saddle Creek band “The Faint”. Jamie is the singer of yet another Omaha band, “Race For Titles”. Chris used to be in a rock band called “Bleeders For Treats”. Their past musical endeavors shine through in their debut cd, “Heavy Hands”, released on the Saddle Creek recording label.

Kid, You’ll Move Mountains – Volts (2009, Chicago, Illinois) Having just released their first album this year, I can tell you that it is REALLY solid. I don’t really know terribly much about the band, but I’m eagerly awaiting more stuff from them. This track can be found on “Loomings” and you won’t regret buying it!

Of Montreal – First Time High (Reconstructionist Remix of “An Eluardian Instance”) (2009, Athens, Georgia) Of Montreal has really gained much deserved notoriety in the past few years, thanks to some really solid releases. “The John Brion” EP is no exception, which features such great tracks as this, which honestly, doesn’t really sound terribly much different than the “Skeletal Lamping” version, but the subtle differences are pretty awesome :) *rambles* If you dig “Of Montreal”, be sure to familiarize yourself with their earlier releases, such as “Satanic Panic in the Attic”.

Plants and Animals – Feedback in the Field (2008, Montreal, Quebec) I love the art for this album. I can’t help but wonder if it’s the family of the band and the shirt worn by the lady up front features this album’s name, “Parc Avenue”. They’ve only released one other full length album, in 2003, but for some bands, good albums take time and I can appreciate that. Most of this band met in high school, playing together in various bands. After moving from Halifax, Nova Scotia, they recruited additional members and became “Plants and Animals”.

School of Seven Bells – My Cabal (2008, Brooklyn, New York) Is anybody else getting sick of me blogging about how much I love this band? I really regret not having discovered them before my “Best of 2008″ post, as they’d have been in it with their solid release “Alpinism”. I love the haunting backup vocals in this track, as well as the catchy electronics. The band consists of Alejandra Deheza (vocals, bass), Claudia Deheza (vocals, keyboards) and Benjamin Curtis (guitar). The Deheza sisters are former members of “On!Air!Library!” and Curtis is a former member of “Secret Machines” and “Tripping Daisy” (holy s**t!). The band is named after the School of the Seven Bells, a mythical South American pickpocket training academy. Curtis and the Deheza sisters met when both were opening on an Interpol tour. The three decided to end their commitments to their old bands, move in to a shared space, and create a home recording studio together.

No, don’t expect any belated April fools jokes. I’m here on a serious mission *laughs* Ok, but honestly, I’ve spent a lot of March reflecting on some old favorite music, so expect a song or so in this list to reflect that :)

Enjoy!

Pendulum – Visions (2008, London, England) This electronic group is originally from Perth, Australia, but have since relocated to London. Don’t confuse them with the other 4+ artists with the same name, these guys are fairly new. Having released only 2 albums, and an EP, Pendulum brings a Drum and Bass/Electronic sound that is both familiar at times, and refreshingly new at others. If you dig this song, check out their 2008 release “In Silico”.

The Smashing Pumpkins – Go (2002, Chicago, Illinois) I’m a huge SP fan, always have been, always will. Granted, Machina was not one of their best albums, however “Machina II/Friends & Enemies Of Modern Music” was friggin’ phenomenal. This is totally a bootleg album, and as rumor flies, Billy Corgan gave the sole tape to a fan with the instructions to “copy and share”. They’ve got a few bootleg albums all of which are pretty good, some with more post-production than others. Machina II, if you can find it, is definitely worth checking out!

School of Seven Bells – My Cabal (2008, Brooklyn, New York) Another great track off their “Alpinism” album, like it’s hard to choose one. The album, released last year, was very solid and is another release worthy of a listen. I believe you can even check out the entire album on their last.fm page.

An Horse – Postcards (2009, Brisbane, Australia) An Horse is a relatively new band to hit my ears. Having just released their first album “Rearrange Beds”, the members of the band are not stranger to the industry. Kate Cooper has done vocal duties for “Iron On”, and Damon Cox has done drums and vocals for “Intercooler” and “Mary Trembles”.

Embrace – Ashes (2004, Huddersfield, England) Ya know, I remember the first time I heard this song. I was driving along, and listening to the radio. The song came on and like, adrenaline rushed all over the body. I love a song that makes me just enjoy it so much as this track does. The mystery remains though “Why hasn’t Ip bought the album yet?” *does some deep soul searching* I’m a very bad person. *grins* But seriously, Embrace has got several albums under their belt, and this track can be found on their “Out of Nothing” release.

El Ten Eleven – Jumping Frenchmen of Maine (2008, Los Angeles, California) This post-rock group from LA mixes hints of electronic and classic rock riffs to form awesome music. This track, off of “These Promises Are Being Videotaped” is pretty awesome, and has an awesome name as well. ;) If you dig this album, then you won’t be disappointed by any of their previous releases.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday, well, those that observe it. I know that I’ll be enjoying my vacation time these next few days, checking out new music online and at the local music shops :3

School of Seven Bells – Connjur (2008). Another great band from Brooklyn, New York, School of Seven Bells brings us this wonderful track off of “Alpinism”. Benjamin Curtis (from “Secret Machines”), serves as the bassist and vocalist for this band, leaving me curious to know how much time he’s investing on the Secret Machines up and coming album…hmm… At any rate, enjoy!

Army Navy – My Thin Sides (2008) This band has been making a lot of great appearances this year, and also contributing a lot to tribute/soundtrack type albums. Hear them on “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist”, or “Perfect as Cats”, the must buy tribute to the Cure. Coming from Los Angeles, California, this band released an EP back in 2006, but is finally starting to make a real name for themselves.

Camera Obscura – If Looks Could Kill (2007) Wow..there are like four other bands all with this name, but this band from Glasgow, Scotland tends to stick out a lot more for me. I just love their sound. Kinda poppy, laid back indie rock. Nyummy.

Glasvegas – Geraldine (2008) Glasvegas, another band from Glasgow, is another up and coming band that has only released a few singles before this year, in which they’ve released two full length albums, though one seems to reek of a christmas themed album…but, I’ve not heard anything off of it yet, so, we’ll just have to listen and see. “Geraldine” can be found on their self titled album, which was released back in September, 2008.

Sugar – Helpless (1992) Turning back the dials on the “Way back Machine”, Sugar was yet another band in which Bob Mould was involved with after Hüsker Dü. While he seems to be doing a lot of awesome solo work these days, this Minneapolis, Minnesota based band didn’t fail to disappoint me way back in the day, when I enjoyed this CD over and over again in High School.

That’s all for now, let me know what you think, what you like, what you hate, etc :)